Mats Zuccarello dominated in his return to the Whale, but was injured by blindside hit on Saturday

Every Wednesday we’ll take a look at the status of the
Rangers’ AHL affiliate. Top prospects Ryan Bourque and Carl Hagelin will
be key players for the Whale this season - we’ll check on how they’re doing and
how the team performs as the season progresses.

- Connecticut picked up three wins in three days last weekend over
the Manchester Monarchs and twice over the Springfield Falcons.

Next, the Whale beat
the Springfield Falcons 2-1 on Saturday as Zuccarello scored the
game-winning goal late in the third period.Jonathan Audy-Marchessault scored his first AHL goal earlier in the
final frame to tie the game.

On Sunday, the Whale returned home and downed the Falcons
again, this
time 4-1.Audy-Marchessault followed
up his first pro goal with another goal
and two assists, which earned him first-star of the game honors.

- It was initially reported that Ryan Bourque had missed games
with illness, but now it appears that Bourque
suffered a concussion.Bourque was
back on the ice today, but there’s no timetable for his return to the lineup.

- The Whale has a road back-to-back on Friday and Saturday
when the team will visit the Adirondack Phantoms, the AHL affiliate of the
Philadelphia Flyers, and Worcester Sharks, the AHL affiliate of the San Jose Sharks.Both games begin at 7:00 p.m.Connecticut is then off until next Wednesday.